Glenn Beck and his Marks

Someone made this comparison somewhere on a political forum I frequent, but I'll elaborate further: Glenn Beck is Pro Wrestling.

Specifically, he is Pro Wrestling circa 1985.

In the mid-eighties, the world was starting to "smart up" to the "sport." Further, because they were less and less certain as to whether pro wrestling was real competition, fans were becoming bored with matches that included five-minute toeholds, and a simple clothesline as a high-spot of a match. So Vince McMahon starting getting more and more gimmicky. Every wrestler became more of a comic-book character.

I hope what happened to pro wrestling happens to Beck. Eventually, even McMahon admitted it was entertainment-only. This helped put the final nail in most of his competition, as only the deepest pockets could survive the loss of the "marks," i.e., the fans still stupid enough to believe it was on the up-and-up.

As the business evolved further, the stars even talked about the angles openly on the Net and elsewhere out of character (known as "shoot" interviews and dropping "kayfabe"). The only true drama that remained was the business politics behind-the-scenes. Ratings and house show attendances dropped to a point where all that was left were wrestling geeks (and I don't mean that as an insult) who still enjoyed the story lines and admired the performers for the showmen and women they are. And while gimmicks are still a part of the business, the characters came to resemble the most violent and bad-ass of the comic book characters.

Today, there are only two big pro wrestling players in the US market (one real big, the other trying to be a viable competitor), and all others are indies performing in front of 75 people in American Legion Hall basements for free. People are still making money, but not by pulling the wool over anyone's eyes.

This can't happen to Glenn Beck soon enough. I will support and even admire him the day he fesses up that it's all a work, and manages to still generate an audience and earn a living with his brand of entertainment.

Some day, he may still be making millions as an admitted actor/entertainer. Or perhaps he will be asleep at the wheel, protecting "kayfabe," while the business passes him by, a la Verne Gagne. But right now, he appears to be more like Vince McMahon in 1985, his outrageousness at its peak, and knowing what his "marks" will eat up as if his act were legit.

How much more outrageous he gets before finally admitting it's all an act, I don't know. But if he is going to be McMahon in this analogy, and not Gagne, he may have to come clean soon.